how to screenshot on mac

How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac

Taking a screenshot on a Mac is a simple process that can be accomplished using keyboard shortcuts, a built-in application, and even Terminal commands. Below are step-by-step instructions for each method.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

The most direct way to take a screenshot is by using the Mac’s keyboard shortcuts. Here’s how:

For Full Screen Capture:

1. Press Shift + Command + 3.
2. Release all keys. You’ll hear a camera shutter sound indicating that a screenshot has been taken.
3. Find the screenshot as a .png file on your desktop.

For a Portion of the Screen:

1. Press Shift + Command + 4.
2. Move the crosshair to where you want to start the screenshot.
3. Drag to select an area. While dragging, you can hold Shift, Option, or Space bar to change the way the selection moves.
4. Release your mouse or trackpad button to capture the screenshot.
5. The screenshot can be found as a .png file on your desktop.

For a Specific Window:

1. Press Shift + Command + 4 then tap the Space bar.
2. The pointer will change to a camera icon. Move the camera over the window to highlight it.
3. Click your mouse or trackpad to capture the entire window.
4. Your screenshot will be saved as a .png file on your desktop.

Using Preview

Preview also offers options for capturing a screenshot:

1. Open the Preview app located in the Applications folder.
2. From the menu bar at the top, select File > Take Screenshot.
3. Choose from the options: From Selection, From Window, or From Entire Screen.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions for your selected option.
5. Save the resulting image.

Using Screenshot Application

macOS Mojave and later have a dedicated screenshot application:

1. Press Shift + Command + 5 to open the Screenshot application.
2. Select the type of screenshot you want to take from the onscreen menu.
3. Click on “Options” to choose where to save the screenshot, set a timer, and other settings.
4. Click “Capture” or use the corresponding keyboard shortcut to take the screenshot.

Using Terminal

Advanced users might prefer the flexibility offered by Terminal:

1. Open Terminal from the Utilities folder or by searching with Spotlight.
2. Type screencapture -iW ~/Desktop/screenshot.png and hit Enter.
3. A crosshair cursor will appear, click on the window you want to capture or draw a box around the area to capture.
4. The command will save the screenshot as ‘screenshot.png’ on your desktop.

Remember that default saving location is the desktop, but you can change this in the settings of the Screenshot application or by dragging screenshots directly from the thumbnail that appears briefly at the corner of your screen after making the capture.

Hopefully, this step-by-step guide has been helpful in teaching you how to take a screenshot on your Mac!